“What is that noise….?”
My eyes opened wide as I woke up from the sound of someone throwing something on the nearby window of my room. Looking around, it took a while for my mind to process that it was night outside with clear starry sky. As I looked out the windows, the moon shone on two familiar figures standing outside my home, looking at me with their visible pebbles in their hands.
Oh, it is Bobby and Alice! But why are they here? Did they just come to my house to call me or something? As much I wanted to shout at them to know that I was awake and not wanting to wake mommy up, I waved my arms in hopes of telling them that I was already awake.
The siblings stopped and stared at me in silence. Their expressions remained blank for a few seconds until their faces suddenly brightened with excitement.
“Hey, Adam!” They both yelled concurrently.
Great, there goes in being quiet and stealthy. But since they already now knew that I up out of bed, I then placed my finger between my lips, messaging them to be silent. They both then smiled as they dropped their pebbles, giving thumps up towards my window.
I shrug while delivering a confused expression, hoping that they got the message. Unfortunately, the two siblings scratched heads, unsure what I was trying to say until Alice finally gave a small chuckle, nodding at me with a smile as she gestured me to meet them outside my house, quietly.
Sneaking quietly down the stairs, the creaky steps did not help as it echoed loudly throughout the entire hallway. Even though the lights are dimmed, the moonlight still shone on the walls, making it difficult to see. I then carefully peeked around the corner of the windows on the bottom floor in the house, seeing the two siblings waiting for me with curious expression.
Ignoring their look of faces, I continued on to the front door, opening it with a click. Once again, the loud echoing of the metal doorknob resounded through the hall.
Why is this house so damn loud?! It is like it is designed to be heard by everyone in the neighborhood! Anyway, it is too late for regrets as it is done and it is better than wasting the opportunity of sneaking out. With that thought, I quickly stepped out of the door, closing it with a soft snick.
As the cold wind hit my face, it felt refreshing. There is a chill that seeped inside my bones that somehow feel more alive after being exposed to this freezing weather for a couple of seconds again. I then turned to the siblings who then approached me, having something to say.
“Hey Adam, remember yesterday that we would see you at night?” Bobby spoke while holding his hands in his pockets, smiling.
Ah! I remember about that, “oh yeah,” I replied while scratching the back of my head, “so, where we heading to,” I asked, looking at one of them with confusion. “We are taking you somewhere else,” Alice chimed in the conversation.
“Where exactly, are we going? And how do you plan on getting us there,” I inquired, staring at her with an inquisitive gaze as more confusion set in. “You do not need to worry about it,” She answered, “we are going to take care of it.”
I could not help but squint my eyes, feeling a bit uneasy as this is starting to sound suspicious. “And why do you want to take me anywhere,” I questioned, now sounding a little nervous. “Well, it is because…” Alice started, before suddenly stopping, as if thinking twice.
“It is our secret hideout,” Bobby answered her in behalf, “it is a place that is safe from the prying ears of adults and parents, so it is perfect for spending a good time together. You know, just hanging out and stuff,” he explained, giving a casual smile.
“Yeah, that sounds nice,” I agreed, “but…what happens if our parents discovered us,” I said while rubbing my chin, “and what about the neighbors?” Alice and Bobby both shook their heads simultaneously, causing their hair fly around their shoulders.
“No way!” They exclaimed, laughing with each other, “as long we stay quiet and no one finds out, then it is fine,” they added, “you will not be in trouble, trust me!” I stared at the two of them, trying to identify if these siblings are really telling the truth. Then it dawned on me that it is probably the latter as the thought of getting to know about my friends had barely crossed my mind until then.
“Alright then,” I finally gave in, “where are we headed to anyway,” I asked, curious about the destination. “A place we called the ‘Hideaway,’ “Alice told me, “it is a place close to this village,” she continued, “we used to play in a lot, but since everyone had forgotten about it, it was pretty much abandoned.”
“But it is still a place to hang out and be alone, away from the rest of the world,” Bobby chimed in, “the last thing we want is someone coming to bother us, right,” he laughed, “plus, it is a place that has lots of fun things to do.”
That is, as far as I am concerned, rather interesting to see! But one problem still plagues my mind, how would mommy react if I was caught sneaking out to this place. However, as much as it pains me to do this, making new friends and getting to know them is something that I deeply desire to do, so it is worth it to take the risk.
Additionally, mommy would forgive me, knowing that I am just having a good time with them. “Alright then,” I decided, “lead the way guys,” I said with a chirpy tone, “I will follow you wherever it is,” I replied.
“Great! Follow us,” Bobby and Alice both said with big smiles on their faces. We began walking towards the woods near the village, leaving the snowy road behind. It was not long before we reached the entrance of the forest. The trees here are rather thick and dense, creating an eerie feeling within the place.
Inevitably, we reached our destination.
“Here we are!” Alice happily announced, “this is the hideout,” she finished, gesturing us to hurry as the woods around us began to dissipate. “This is the place where we come to relax, chill and have a blast,” she added, “it is like a second home for us,” she smiled, while taking a deep breath of air, “enjoy the scenery guys!”
Woah, so this is their hideout huh? We are in the freaking snowy mountain cliff! “So, this is your hideout?” I ask, looking around. There is not really anything special that stands out in the scenery of the massive rock walls from other mountains in the far distance. In fact, the only things that stand out is the white landscape with occasional patches of ice on the ground and other snowy forests at the bottom of the mountain cliff we are at.
“Yup, this is it,” Bobby nodded, “we came here often since it is close to the village and its safe,” he explained, “plus it gives us a good view of looking at the sky,” he continued. What sky is he talking about?
“Good view on the sky? What do you mean by that Bobby?”
He sighed, “you are not going to believe me,” he started, “but, look up,” he pointed to the sky, “look at the stars above us,” he ordered.
As I did what he told, my eyes were greeted by the beautiful starry night of the northern hemisphere skies that glittered brilliantly with twinkling lights that sparkled brightly as far as I could see. “Wow…” I gasped, “how pretty,” I remarked.
“Really cool, right Adam?!” Alice comment, “it is so pretty, it is breathtaking,” she gushed with excitement in her voice. “It is,” I agreed, “I never knew that the world looked so magnificent until now,” my lips curved into a smile as the sight of the night sky took hold of my senses.
“Yeah, it is amazing,” Bobby replied, “it is the same for everyone, no matter how much of a village boy or girl they are,” he chuckled before continuing, “how about we sit at the cliff? It is a bit cold but it will be an excellent change of pace,” he suggested.
I am not certain about that. What if we fall or something?! “Um, Bobby…do you think that sitting on the cliff is a good idea? We might, you know..fall?!” I could not help but shout at his suggestion.
“No worries Adam, trust me,” he said as Bobby grabbed the back of my neck and pulled me forward towards the edge of the cliff. “Just sit down, don’t worry, I got you,” he assured.
“But, but, but, but-“
“Shut the hell up already and just do it,” he barked with annoyance, “I am not asking, so just do it,” he added. With a sigh of defeat, I sat myself on the ground. My legs dangled over the side of the ledge as a gentle breeze blew against the exposed skin of my hands and face.
Alice sat beside me, seemingly not afraid of falling as she gazed out across the horizon. “It is so beautiful is not it Adam,” she whispered as she turned to gaze at the beauty of the night sky. “Alice? Are you not afraid of falling?”
She turned her head to face me, “falling? Adam, me and Bobby have been doing this for years! There is nothing to be scared about.” She laughed as she continued gazing at the vast expanse of the dark heavens. “Furthermore, it is not like the world’s going to end or anything,” she joked.
Right..doing this for years they said, but do not they realize this is something new for me?!
“Anyway,” I cough to get their attention, “anything you guys want to tell me about? Your hobbies and stuff other than dangerously sitting on mountain cliff?!”
Bobby smiled as he also sat beside me, “well, me and my little sister do not really have anything interesting to talk about, but hey, perhaps your story is different, right Adam?”
“Well Bobby, that is true, I guess, but it is still not as exciting as either of you guys, so…”
He interrupted, “oh come on, it is not that bad, okay, well, let us see. How about we talk about our favorite foods, or movies, or games or music or books or places or pets or things that annoy us or things that scare us or things that excite us or even our parents?” Bobby began to list off topics as he looked at Alice.
She gave a sigh of defeat when mentioning about their parents, “father has been taking too long to get home. He said something about leaving the house just to meet someone and would be back just after hour, but he…”
Bobby went to hug her as he gently comforted Alice, “it is all right, father is probably fine. He is a strong and responsible man. Father will come back, mother told us, remember?” His voice became softer, “and besides, it is not as though he has never left before, he is just gone to visit a friend or something, so it is not that big of a deal,” he added.
“I hope your right Bobby…” Alice sighed.
Seeing the siblings worried about their father had gave me a weird tinder feeling in my chest, “I..am sure that your father will come home guys,” I tried to cheer up both of them.
Bobby nodded with a smile, “thanks. By the way Adam, what about your father? Do you also miss him too?” His question caught me by surprise as I thought about it for a few seconds, “my..father?”
Since when have my father cared about me? When he throw me around before beating me because I did mistake? Father never showed his affection for me, unlike these two. It is disheartening to know that no one had truly cared about me until I met mommy.
“His dead…” I cannot say, I do not know why but I could not for some reason! As much I hate my father for all the terrible things he did to me, the man is still my father!
The siblings gasp in horror as Alice covered her mouth while she burst out crying, “I am so sorry Adam…” she sobbed while Bobby’s eyes widened, “do you know how he died?”
“Well he…” the memories then flooded in my head as visions replayed from my very own eyes, his voice echoing within my skull, calling my name as the screams of hatred filled the air.
“Adam?”
